When it comes to the topic of success, most experts, scholars, and researchers will readily agree that the term success can have various meanings and associations, ultimately depending on the individual themselves. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of what determines success. Whereas some are convinced that superiority complex, insecurity, and impulse control determine success, others maintain that success is determined by much more than that. One example would be in the article “ What Drives Success” illustrated by Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld, where they emphasize that “The Triple Package” is essential in determining success. Another point of view would be in his book, “Outliers,” where Malcolm Gladwell writes “It’s because of the contributions of lots of different people and lots of different circumstances, an that means we, as a society, have more control about who succeeds- and how many of us succeed.” (8;Reading Group Guide) is what composes long-term success. I have always believed that success was derived from an individual’s determination, culture, or just pure luck.
In their recent opinion piece, an excerpt from The New York Times, Chua and Rubenfeld have offered harsh critiques as to what is required in order for a person to acquire success. For example, they frequently state that the three traits needed are superiority complex, insecurity, and impulse control. The first trait is superiority complex, which Chua and Rubenfeld define as “a deep-seated belief in their exceptionality. The second appears to be the opposite- insecurity, a feeling that you or what you’ve done is not good enough”(3). The third is impulse control, which can be defined as the ability to prioritize when faced with temp...
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...n comparing and contrasting Chua and Rubenfeld’s and Gladwell’s theories with my three ideal factors in achieving success, there are more similarities than differences. In a way, when comparing and contrasting each one they could go either way. Depending on how you look at it, each one of their theories could agree and disagree with my idea simultaneously. These conclusions will have significant applications in discovering what determines success. Therefore, success can be determined by many different components, it all comes down to the individual.
Works Cited
Chua, Amy. Rubenfeld, Jed. “What Drives Success?” New York Times 26 January 2014.
SR1. Print.
Gladwell, Malcolm. "Reading Group Guide: 'A conversation with Malcolm Gladwell.'"
Outliers. New York: Little Brown and Company, 2010. 312-318.
Generally speaking, success isn’t just about what you accomplish in life, it’s how you accomplished it and the impact you
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